


Bonus: Changing Names

by supercalvin



Series: A.S.S. (Agents of Secret Stuff) [3]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, M/M, Spies & Secret Agents, this was supposed to be cracky and you guys made me write sorta serious
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-26
Updated: 2014-05-26
Packaged: 2018-01-26 14:11:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,907
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1691162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supercalvin/pseuds/supercalvin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gaius watches as Merlin becomes a British spy.  (aka. Merlin's back story).</p>
            </blockquote>





	Bonus: Changing Names

**Author's Note:**

> This story was supposed to be a stupid, silly one-shot and then people actually liked it and then I kept thinking about it and it kept building. Now I present to you a peek into Merlin's back story.
> 
> EDIT: A very nice person (Angy) commented and told me how bad my Russian was (I only used Google Translate). They corrected my mistakes and now I hope it's accurate.

“This is him?” Gaius asked, raising an eyebrow at the agent.

“Yes, sir.” The agent said warily.

“There must be a mistake.” Gaius said, turning back to the captive who was passed out in back of the van. He usually didn’t accompany the agents into the field, but this was merely a pick-up, and it was important enough that he should follow. “And who the hell shot him?” Gaius snapped, checking the bandage on the shoulder which he had put on him. Gaius turned his harsh gaze to the other agents. “I told you not to shoot him unless entirely necessary."

“He was like this when we found him.” said one of the agents. He rubbed his jaw where Gaius imagined the young man put up a fierce fight. “We just knocked him out, that’s it.”

“You’re lucky you could knock him out.” Gaius reprimanded, reminding his men that it wasn’t an easy task, especially with this captive.

Gaius bent down next to the young man. He checked his breathing and the bandage again.

“This is him? _Ambrosii_?” Gaius pressed the back of his hand to his forehead, checking his temperature. He was burning up.

“Yes, sir.” The same agent reassured him.

The boy couldn’t have been older than seventeen years of age. He was pale from the blood loss and his brow was covered in sweat. Gaius may be the director, but he had once been a doctor and when he had bandaged the boy’s shoulder the poor soul had made pitiable noises in his sleep. His breathing was labored and his hand unconsciously clutched at Gaius’ jacket.

The movement of the van must have awoken him for a moment. His eyes fluttered open. All the agents went on high alert, moving their hands to their guns and taking stances of attack, but Gaius raised a single palm and stopped them.

His eyes were completely unfocused and his lips barely moved. His throat choked out “Где-?” as his eyes tried to focus. ‘Where-?’

“Расслабься.” Gaius comforted, ‘Relax’ trying to remember his basic Russian. He was sure the boy spoke English, but Russian might comfort him at the moment. “Вы в безопасности” He pet the boy’s fringe, moving it off his brow. ‘You are safe.’

The boy’s eyes focused on Gaius’ face for a second. They were wide and frantic, and Gaius could feel his breathing pick up. He swallowed and tried to stay awake, craning his neck to sit up, but his injuries overcame him. His eyes rolled back into his head. Gaius watched over him for the rest of the drive. He knew he shouldn’t be attached to this captive, but he also knew there was potential in this young man, whether it be good or bad. Gaius was willing to bet the young man was the type to choose the good guys.

~~~

Gaius had argued over and over again, but he was told that he was not to interfere with the ‘interview’ unless entirely necessary. He may be the director of this department, but Kilgharrah was still a rank above him. Plus, Gaius knew when to listen to the advice of his subordinates and they told him that the Dragon, affectionately called by all above and below him, was the best person to first meet with the captive. Gaius had to agree, though he was reluctant. The Dragon was tough and laid out the details, though he was often cryptic. Gaius planned on walking straight into the room if he thought it was necessary.

The captive’s disposition had changed immensely since Gaius saw the fear in his eyes on the drive to HQ. After waking up from surgery in one of the lowest levels of HQ, the captive had been volatile, immediately trying to escape. They had handcuffed him to the bed and posted guards. Gaius had a feeling that the only reason he hadn’t tried to escape again was because he didn’t know what laid for him past the guards outside.  He hardly spoke, and when he did it was an insult in Russian. He was playing his role very well, if in fact it was a role. Gaius wanted to believe that he was putting on an act. When he had seen the fear in his eyes and the fierce grip on Gaius’ jacket, it told him that the harsh words the captive spoke now were all put on. But Gaius had to remember what little they knew about the man (really just a boy). He had been involved in several intelligence operations and there were rumors that he was the one behind several assassinations around the world. Gaius could hardly believe it especially for someone so young, but then again, he had seen spies trained at a young age even in Britain.

Gaius watched behind the interrogation mirror in the hospital room as Kilgharrah entered.

“ _ Британская мразь_”

The young man’s words were harsh and scratching, ‘British Scum.’ He spat onto the floor, next to Kilgharrah shoes. He was pale against the white sheets of the hospital bed, but his eyes were fierce and his back straight and unrelenting, despite the recent surgery.

“Was that entirely necessary, young man?” He stepped aside from the spit, with a look of disgust and reprimand on his face. The captive only glared back.

“I have come to talk with you.” Kilgharrah pulled up a chair, careful to keep his distant, the captive may have been handcuffed but that would not stop him. When the boy didn’t speak, Kilgharrah opened up a file and began reading. “Name: Unknown. Current Alias: Ambrosii – No Last Name. Age: Unknown – possibly seventeen to twenty years of age. Country of Origin: Unknown – possibly Russia. Languages Spoken: Russian – possibly English, Arabic, and Mandarin.  Shall I keep reading?”

“ _ Иди к черту_” Gaius translated quickly in his head, ‘Go to Hell.’ This wasn’t going well.

“There’s no need for that young man.” Kilgharrah’s scold was not answered with anything but a glare. The Dragon sighed. “We’ve brought you here for a reason. If you are willing to cooperate, we can come to a kind of agreement.” Still no answer. Kilgharrah flipped back to the file he held in his hands and looked at some of his notes.

“Ambrosii.” He hummed. “Interesting choice in name. I assume you choose it for a reason.” Kilgharrah looked like he knew where he was going with the conversation, but Gaius was lost as to its purpose. The young man didn’t look happy about the conversation. Not at all. His fists were clenched and his lips in a tight line. When he didn’t get a reaction, Kilgharrah changed tactics. He tapped on a part of the file. “Is it true you were behind the killing of that Russian General? That doesn’t seem... patriotic.” The Dragon smiled, “Betraying your own people?” That elicited a response, probably more than Kilgharrah anticipated.

The captive started yelling in rapid-fire Russian. Gaius could barely distinguish the words, only to hear an insult thrown in-between quick phrases. Kilgharrah didn’t look afraid but he did stand up and step away from the captive. Gaius decided now was the best time to interfere. He left the observation room and entered the interview room.

“I told you to stay out.” snapped the Dragon.

“Yes, because this is going to well.” Gaius said, nodding his head to the young man. “Leave, Kilgharrah. Let me handle this.”

“You?” The Dragon snarled.

“Yes, me.” Gaius pushed the Dragon out of the room and closed the door. The young man had stopped yelling, looking warily at Gaius, but not angrily. Gaius checked on the captive’s vitals and made sure everything was in order. He waited for the machine to indicate that the captive’s heart beat was at a regular pace.

" _Вы врач?_ " he asked. ‘Are you a doctor?’ It was the first time the young man had ever initiated conversation, and Gaius saw that as a good sign.

“I was. Before I came to work here.” Gaius spoke in English, hoping to coax the boy to do the same. “How are you feeling?”

The young man gave Gaius the most sarcastic expression he had ever seen and Gaius couldn’t help but laugh. “Alright, fair enough. I’m sorry.” He pulled up the chair to the bed, not minding how close he was. “My name’s Gaius.” He stuck out his hand and hoped this was a good tactic to getting the man to speak with him.

He looked at the hand for a moment before taking it, the smallest of smiles on his lips. “Ambrosii.” he said. He still used the alias, but Gaius saw it as a victory. Gaius wanted to turn to the mirror where he knew the Dragon was watching and give him a smug look, but he controlled himself.

“You are very young, Ambrosii.”

"Не настолько молод." he shrugged. ‘Not that young.’

“You’ll forgive me if I don’t speak Russian.” Gaius said, “My Russian’s very rusty and I’d rather not embarrass myself.”

The man smiled, and Gaius was surprised as how youthful he looked. "Уверен, что он плох." he said. ‘I’m sure it is bad.’

Gaius raised a brow but the young man only smiled wider, cheekily. Gaius shook his head, trying to focus. “You seem like a good judge of character, Ambrosii. Am I right?” Ambrosii didn’t reply, but he didn’t glare, which was a good thing. “You know when people are lying, when they have good intentions or bad. You know when to put your trust in one person even when everyone else has it in another.”

Ambrosii’s eyes flicked away from Gaius and down onto the bed sheets.

“It is something to admire.” Gaius said. That caught his attention, because he looked up again. Gaius kept going while he had his attention. “I envy your ability to choose the path untaken.”

" _Кто сказал, что я выбрал какой-то путь?_ " he replied sharply ‘Who said I’ve taken any path?’

Gaius leaned forward and studied the young man. He looked wary, but Gaius had a feeling it was the fact that he didn’t know where he was that most frightened him rather than Gaius’ presence. “I do not know you, Ambrosii. I don’t pretend that the information agents have collected about you can tell me what type of person you really are. But I do believe this: you are a young man that can make a good judgment and take the path that may not be the easiest, but maybe it is the right path. I have a feeling you are already on that path. From what I can tell, you didn’t get that bullet in your shoulder from the British.”

Ambrosii studied Gaius for a long moment, and he held his gaze firmly. The young man looked away first, biting his lip as he thought.

In English, free of any Russian inflection, he spoke, perhaps a touch of a Welsh accent, “What path can you offer me?”

Gaius smiled. “Let’s see what we can figure out.”

~~~

Over the years, Gaius had compiled two lists that dealt with Ambrosii.

List #1: Things Gaius Knew about “Ambrosii” Before Capturing Him

  * Ambrosii was an alias for someone (probably male) who worked as a spy and agent for the Russian government
  * He had gone on missions with other Russian agents.
  * There was a good chance he had gone on solo missions, meaning he was one of the best and well trusted agents. One these solo mission he had assassinated several important figures around the world.
  * He had killed a Russian government official, clearly out of line, and gone rogue.



It was the last point on his list that had led Gaius to Ambrosii. Reasonably it made sense for assassination plots to occur by Russians against Russians. In Britain, incidences like that happened (and were stopped by Gaius’ agents) all the time. The problem was that this Russian official had been on the “right” side (so to speak) and had made no quarrels with anyone in Russia. He had made enemies, as do all officials, but he had been in the government’s favor and therefore had protection. So Ambrosii’s alleged assassination made no sense. Not to mention that Ambrosii’s track record had seemed to officially gone rogue. He was all over Europe, his digital signal being tracked and then disappearing (he was good at hacking, they soon found out). And the British intelligence agencies were getting antsy because rumor had it that Russia was in a frenzy over _something_. Gaius had a feeling that Ambrosii was that something.

Time elapsed and Gaius’ department had been on and off Ambrosii’s case for months. Suddenly they had a hit and it wasn’t sitting around and waiting anymore, it was packing up the van and going before the trail went cold.

List #2: Things Gaius Knew After Capturing Ambrosii

  * Facts known from the first list are all correct.
  * Ambrosii was eighteen years old when captured by Gaius’ agents, which meant he had to have been trained at a very young age.
  * He had been shot by Russian agents (former friends) after the Russian government had discovered he had gone rogue. The topic was sensitive, and he didn’t go into detail.
  * He spoke Russian and English both as first languages. He had been raised with both languages equally in order to pass as British on his missions. He also spoke Arabic, some Mandarin, and Welsh.
  * Gaius had been right in thinking that Ambrosii was the type to choose the path untaken. Even though being a Russian agent, spy, and assassin was all he had ever known, he still chose to leave and make his own way in the world. Gaius wasn’t sure on the details, but he had gotten the impression that Ambrosii hadn’t liked what he had seen in Russia’s underground government.
  * He had a surprisingly big heart.
  * He was clumsy despite being a fantastic gymnast and stealthy assassin.
  * About a year after being taken in by Gaius (he didn’t like to think of it as capture, but helping out a lost boy), Ambrosii dropped his alias and decided to call himself Emrys. Gaius thought the name suited him, making a new start without forgetting his past entirely.
  * Emrys laughed easily once he was comfortable in a situation. Gaius could still see the wariness and unease in his eyes before he realized that he had found a place where he didn’t have to be on high alert all the time.
  * After two years, Emrys hadn’t just become an informant, but a British agent himself. Gaius had made sure that Emrys’ past was only given to those who needed to know. Only Kilgharrah, Gaius, and less than a dozen agents who were sworn to secrecy, knew of Emrys’ past.
  * He was a remarkable agent, but his “unusual” ways of completing missions was often disapproved of and got him into trouble several times.
  * By three years, Emrys was assigned onto a team with Gaius as his recommendation (not that Emrys needed Gaius’ signature to get onto a team, he was just that good, but his lack of personal information was suspicious, even to spies.)
  * Arthur Pendragon, the best of the British spies and son of Uther Pendragon (Head of the British Intelligence Agency) was not impressed. He did not like Emrys and sneered at his (lack of) credentials. Gaius wasn’t sure if it was a good idea to keep Emrys’ past a secret from his supervisor, but Arthur already disapproved of Emrys and they didn’t need any more fuel to the fire.
  * Despite their ‘hatred’ of each other, Arthur (Code Name “King”) and Emrys worked well together. They soon became partners, unusual in the world of spies who work alone.
  * Arthur’s plan to make fun of Emrys by calling him “Merlin” had completely back fired when Emrys, surprisingly, didn’t seem to mind. The name stuck.
  * After a full year as Arthur’s partner, even Gaius was annoyed with Arthur and “Merlin’s” unbearable pining and too-long-for-that-to-be-heterosexual gazes.
  * About the same time, Merlin had come to Gaius stumbling over his words and fiddling with his jacket like a child, until he finally spit out that he had spilled his past to Arthur and he knew wasn’t supposed to, but he was sorry, and he thought Arthur should know because they were partners and it was only right and was he in trouble? He looked so contrite and nervous, but Gaius had just laughed and said ‘About time you two got your act together’ to which Merlin had tried to deny what Gaius was implying but he shut up after Gaius raised a brow at him.
  * Something had happened on that mission in America, and Gaius wasn’t sure if he wanted to know all the details. He decided he didn’t want to know when he heard Gwaine say ‘Vegas,’ ‘shotgun wedding,’ ‘pissed drunk,’ and ‘Merlin in a dress.’
  * By the current date, ten years after the first meeting Merlin (Code Name: “Emrys.” Former Alias: “Ambrosii.” Real Name: Unknown.), he was twenty eight years old. He had been a British agent for eight years. He had been Arthur Pendragon’s partner for seven years, romantically involved with Arthur for six years, and Gaius still wasn’t sure if their marriage five years ago was legal or not, but they definitely acted like an old married couple.
  * _Merlin_ had finally found a name that suited him, a place that fit him and people who cared about him.



**Author's Note:**

> As a lot of you commented last time, I wrote Merlin/Arthur from an outside point of view. I wanted to still do that, so I decided on writing in Gaius' perspective, but in the future (and I'm sure I'll expand this even more) I will write in Merlin or Arthur's pov.
> 
> Ambrosii is a Russian name rooted in the Greek word for ambrosia (the nectar of the gods) which means immortal. Emrys means immortal in Welsh and in the Arthurian Legends Merlin's last name was "Ambrosius."
> 
> Hope that was enjoyable! (Nobody tell Gwaine how close his theory was, he'll be smug for eternity).


End file.
